BMW USED CARS

Standard 19in AMG alloys and beefy side skirts do far better justice to the new S-Class's oddly distended wheelarches, while a huge front apron with outsized air intakes and similarly chunky rear end, broken up by a pair of massive twin exhausts, complete the kind of repackaging that makes you think of borscht and punishment beatings.

But the S65's sales pitch gets skewed again by a £145,365 price tag. To put that into a Merc context, the 'L' version of the S320 CDI is £58,975, while the 500L is £73,770, and that'll still hit 62mph in 5.6 seconds.

On the face of it, a hybrid S-Class shouldn't exist. If anyone wants a slightly-more-economical-than-usual luxury car, they should buy a fractionally smaller (but still pretty ritzy in the overall scheme of things) luxury car like an E-Class. Or an S-Class diesel. Actually, if saving the world were really the priority, the vast expense of developing a car like the S-Class hybrid would be much better spent building tidal electricity generators, or just standing in the town square in Stuttgart and handing out free loft insulation.

While Britain waits with bated wallet for the launch of next year's all-new Fiesta, stop-gap 1.4 and 1.6 Si models have come along, with a strong emphasis on safety and security and a lot less stress on performance compared with the ones they replace.

Externally, the new two have been stripped of go-faster paraphernalia to reduce insurance premiums. Both have enormous new front and rear colour-coded bumpers with integral fog lamps. New aerodynamic door mirrors and melt'n'twist simulated alloy wheel covers complete the external revisions.

Inside, to complement a new range of trims, we find the same old shiny plastic dash and inelegant controls.

The new Fiesta will be available from April 2002 in five-door body style only - at least for the time being. The new car is much longer, wider and taller than the outgoing version and this maximising of interior space is one of the car's big selling points. Trim levels will be the familiar LX, Zetec and Ghia and, prices should be fairly similar to the outgoing range.

Engine-wise, the range starts with the 1.3-litre eight-valve 67bhp petrol, moves on to the 1.4-litre 16-valve 79bhp petrol (expected to be the most popular choice) and tops out with the 1.6-litre 16-valve 99bhp petrol model. But no European car range would be complete without a diesel version, and the new-generation Fiesta gets a new-generation TDCi derv-drinker. With a modest capacity of 1.4 litres, a modest eight valves and an equally modest 67bhp, this common-rail turbocharged unit at least provides a respectable 118lb ft of torque.

Hoping not to build up the hopes of Max Power readers too high, whilst trying not to alienate the more sensible and more numerous older Fiesta buyers, and trying to divert the eye of the insurance companies all at the same time, Ford doesn't want its latest car confused with the old hooligan's favourite XR2i. The risk, of course, is that this Zetec S will end up all sensible and frankly, dull. But it's not - no really, it's not.

Inside, the seats have been ripped from a Puma and sport bodycolour-matched upholstery, whilst the questionable wood-effect trim from the lower models has thankfully given way to a far more pleasing metallic finish. Leg room up front is good, with the passenger-side dashboard cut away to leave enough space for a large family. Unfortunately the large family are more likely to be struggling to squeeze into the less impressive back seats, where space in all directions is at a premium. If bigger kids are already none-too-keen on long drives in the back seat, they'll be plotting your violent overthrow after a trip in the new Fiesta.